"He's the best hope we have. He is trusted on both sides," said Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo.

It was not clear which members of the government he would be allowed to meet, though the White House said he should be allowed to meet "anyone he wants to meet", including opposition figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi.

Streets quiet

The BBC's Chris Hogg, in Bangkok, says Burma's international internet links were restored on Saturday, indicating the junta was now satisfied it had the protests under control.

Soldiers and police were stationed on almost every corner and shopping centres and parks were closed, with only a few people on the streets, the Associated Press reported.

"I don't think that we have any more hope to win," one young woman said. "The monks are the ones who give us courage."

Police surrounded five monasteries on Friday to prevent Buddhist monks - who have been spearheading the demonstrations - from taking to the streets.

Despite the lack of information due to the internet clampdown, eyewitnesses managed to contact the BBC on Friday to say that the government was sending bus-loads of vigilantes into the main city to attack the demonstrators.

They said a temporary prison had been set up at an old race course for the hundreds, possibly thousands, of people detained in recent days.

International response

Overnight, the US said it would ban dozens of members of Burma's military government from obtaining American travel visas.

That followed the US Treasury saying it would freeze any US assets belonging to 14 Burmese government and military officials.